The cousin of a Staten Island man accused of causing a deadly crash in New Jersey says his relative was not drag racing or trying to escape the country.
“He’s very upset and hurt by everything that happened. He’s extremely sorry. That was his best friend who died,” said Roni Xhaferi, 24, cousin of Alvi Limani, 20.
“I saw a few articles saying he was racing. I don’t know where that came from. I spoke to Alvi many times, and he said he wasn’t racing anyone,” Xhaferi told the Daily News.
But prosecutors in New Jersey say otherwise. They claim Limani was driving 112 mph on the Garden State Parkway on June 29 while racing another BMW. He lost control of his BMW X3 and crashed. Limani and his girlfriend, Emily Harrington, 19, ran from the wreck, leaving two passengers behind, authorities said.
One of those passengers, Albion Hysenaj, 19, died from his injuries.
Officials also say Limani and his mother, Vilma Vneshta, 42, tried to flee to Albania through Miami. A TikTok video even shows them being taken off a United Airlines plane in handcuffs. But his cousin says that’s not true.
“People are saying he tried to flee, but he didn’t even have a valid passport. It expired. How could he leave the country without one?” Xhaferi argued.
Prosecutors say Vneshta helped her son get a Florida ID and even a same-day passport on August 8 before buying tickets to Albania.
“I know for sure he wasn’t going to run away. He told me that many times. He just wanted to recover from his injuries before turning himself in,” Xhaferi said.
Now, both Limani and his mother are being held in Middlesex County Jail in New Jersey while they wait for a detention hearing. Limani faces charges including aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide. His mother is accused of helping him hide.
According to prosecutors, Limani’s dashboard camera even caught him challenging the other driver, Jeter Ogando, 23, to a race. During the crash, Limani hit a white Ford Explorer, which slammed into Ogando’s BMW. Limani’s car then rolled over several times, throwing Hysenaj and another passenger out of the vehicle. Prosecutors say Limani and Harrington ran away.
Harrington is charged with hindering and obstruction. Ogando is charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and endangering.
Xhaferi admitted he didn’t ask Limani about what caused the crash but said Harrington — who is free while waiting for trial — told him she thought the car was hit in a “pit maneuver,” a move sometimes used by police to stop cars.
Limani and Hysenaj were best friends, his cousin added. “They were together almost every day. Alvi would even drive him to work,” he said.
“He’s really not a bad person. It’s just a tragic thing that happened. I hope the judge and prosecutors see he didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Xhaferi said.
But not everyone agrees. Hysenaj’s uncle, Parim Murati, dismissed Xhaferi’s claims.
“We have a witness who was in the car. So what his cousin says doesn’t mean anything to us,” Murati said. “The cops have everything. That’s all I need.”
